Identical
by IHaveNoIdea8
Summary: A young girl meets Fred and George Weasley and her life takes an unexpected turn for the better. How identical are her and her twin? You can't judge a book by its cover, or a girl by her family. Takes place during Fred and George's first year at Hogwarts.
1. Prologue

_Identical: Prologue_

I was born into a pure-blooded magical family during a war that consumed the magical world. My family wasn't particularly affected by it though; Mother and Father were the perfect example of Slytherins, and so they supported the Dark Lord. It was something I never used to complain about until a few years ago.

I was always the odd one of my family, though they all tried to pay no attention to it. However, trouble and mischief always seemed to find me when I was about five, not that I ever made it particularly hard for it to do so. While my mother loathed the idea of one of her daughters misbehaving, my sister, my twin, never seemed to mind back then; on the contrary, she used to find it entertaining.

When it became clear that a few minutes sitting alone in a corner was doing nothing to stop the mischief from finding me, my mother made it her goal in life to quash that side of me before I entered Hogwarts, something both she and I had thought she had succeeded in doing. My mother was a scary woman, to say the least. Even her physical appearance was scary, though she was still nothing compared to good ol' Bellatrix Lestrange. But then again, I didn't know the Lestranges, or even the Malfoys until my Hogwarts years.

My mother was a tall woman, freakishly so, with long, straight hair as black as night, and wild green eyes hidden under her scariest feature: her eyebrows. Laugh now, but if you saw them, you'd notice that they gave the impression that the woman was _always_ angry, not that that was very far from the truth. Now, if you knew my mother, you'd know that her being angry is something you should be scared of. My father and sister would agree that my mother was scary, it's the reason my sister always acted exactly the way my parents wanted her to, and the reason my father always let the woman have her way, never saying a word about something he didn't agree with. I tried to get on my mother's good side, but failed miserably. There was always something about me that was reason enough for me to become her favourite target.

That's why I gave up on acting 'perfect' sometime during the year I started at Hogwarts, also known as the year I met Fred and George were the ones to help me realize that being myself wasn't actually a bad thing, as my mother had taught me.

Anyway, possibly one of my favourite things about my mother is her name: Aspasia. A Greek name meaning 'welcome'. I smile at the irony every time I think about it. Those brilliantly intimidating eyebrows, penetrating gaze, and flat out horrible personality would make you feel anything but welcome.

Let's move on to my father, shall we?

My father, Cadmon, was a quiet man. Shorter than my mother, with short blonde hair that always was cropped perfectly to the point it was creepy, and blue eyes that were always glassy, like he never paid attention to his surroundings, which he never did. He was more likely to ignore my entire family altogether than reprimand me. He only started paying attention when I made friends with the Weasley Twins after I was named the first Gryffindor in the Nymphea family. Did I mention my last name was Nymphea? That's right, I guess I haven't told you my name at all, have I?

Mother wanted to name my sister and me after Greek words she liked. She thought, since her name was Greek as well, that they would be unique. Apparently, she didn't think too much about whether or not we'd like the names. Part of me blames my father for allowing her to name us these particular names, but in his defense, he'd have been arguing with the hormones of an already scary woman who was pregnant with twins.

We probably wouldn't mind the Greek names if they had at least meant something cool, but the names she came up with were simply descriptions - adjectives, really. Supposedly I'm 'flower-like'. I personally find it insulting.

At least my sister's name was dead on: Chrysilla, 'golden-haired'.

We inherited our father's hair and eye colour. Our hair was about the same length as my mother's at that point in our lives, down to the middle of our backs, with fringes that went straight across our foreheads. The only difference in eye colour we had with our father was simply the fact that ours weren't glassy, and instead they sparkled with the same innocence you could find in almost any child. Well, Chrysilla's did, anyway. I've been told my eyes were pretty dull by the time I reached Hogwarts.

Without knowing us you'd think we were just like any other pair of twins, at first it was a little true; we were inseparable to the age of eleven, when everything in my life changed. For the better, mind.

Oh, so you've noticed I still haven't told you my name. Some people have told me they think it's 'cool', but I personally hate it because of the meaning alone. 'Flower-like'… Honestly. I like to think I'm not 'flower-like' at all. But enough beating 'round the bush.

My name is Anthea, but please just call me Anna. Everybody does (because I make them), other than the members of my family anyway. Chrys (the nickname my sister adopted) calls me Anna at Hogwarts like everyone else, and I call her Chrys, but we don't dare use our nicknames around Mother. She would always go mental and start going on about how ungrateful we were for the names she'd given us any time we made that mistake.

But I suppose it's time to get on with the story now. That's all the information you really need to know for now anyway. I'll be starting on the day I boarded the Hogwarts Express for the very first time. I think most people would start on the day they got their letter to Hogwarts, but when you're raised in an all magical family, you're already excited about going to Hogwarts either way, the letter basically just lets you know that you definitely aren't a Squib.

Anyway, I chose the day Chrys and I left for Hogwarts because it just so happens to be the day my life took an unsuspected (and completely appreciated) turn for the better. It happens to be the day that I really realised that our appearance was the only thing I had in common with my sister, but you'll find out about the differences when I start the story, I'm sure, so without further ado, let's begin.

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_**A/N: Re-uploaded. I recently deleted this so I could completely edit it. I wasn't proud of the writing I had for this anymore, as I had grown as a writer since, so I decided to completely rework it. I only had 5 chapters up, too, so it shouldn't take too long for me to edit up the rest of the chapters and get them uploaded.  
**_

_**Thank you for reading! In case you were wondering, Anna is writing this after her years at Hogwarts are over.**_

_**The prologue will be different from the rest of the story, it will all be in limited omniscient (like the way JK wrote the novels), and will mainly be following Anna. It's possible I may switch POVs a bit depending on which characters are highlighted later on.**_

_**I'm sure you've noticed that I don't go about explaining the rest of the family as I do her mother. It's because of the fact that her father isn't as important to Anna's background as her mother is, as he ignores basically everything around him. And Chrysilla is a main character in the story, so she appears frequently and is described almost fully in the next few chapters. I took this chance to describe the mother now because of the importance to how Anna acts at the beginning, and the fact that you don't see the parents at all in Hogwarts.**_

_**I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Oh, and I do not own Harry Potter or any recognizable characters in this. (Although, as you've probably guessed, Harry won't be showing up for a while.)**_


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1: The Train_

September first was always a busy day at King's Cross station, and the station's guards had learned to treat the day as if it were like any other, despite the fact that every year on September the first they tended to get a lot of..._strange _people. These particular people didn't act much different from everyone else, no, it was the way they _dressed_ that made people look at them like they were completely barmy. Some of these people wore cloaks, or robes - some even wore the strangest combinations of clothing the guards had ever seen. Some would enter King's Cross wearing swimming costumes, and there were even cases of grown men wearing dresses.

As if the strangely dressed people weren't enough, there was one particular question that at least one eleven-year-old would ask every year, and it had all the guards wondering if it was some kind of joke they simply didn't understand.

_"Excuse me, Sir, but where can I find Platform Nine and Three Quarters?"_

The guards all assumed that it was just a joke that a group of eleven-year-olds thought clever. Sometimes even adults would ask, but an eleven-year-old would always be accompanying them. The guards had probably been asked this question hundreds of times over the years, and yet they still refused to believe that such a platform existed.

But what the guards didn't know, was that Platform Nine and Three Quarters _did _exist, however the people who used it didn't blame the guards for not knowing that the only way to get to it was through the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. They were only Muggles after all, only wizards and other inhabitants of the magical world knew where it was and where the train on this particular platform lead to. It led to a school that witches and wizards sent their children to: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As it was September the first, the platform was packed with families of witches and wizards with their children. Parents and grandparents were hugging children of the ages of eleven to seventeen goodbye as they prepared to board the train. There was one particular family on the sidelines, however, where no one was hugging anybody.

"-I'll be prepared to get an owl from the school saying that you both made it into Slytherin," a tall, black-haired woman was saying to her blonde twin daughters, as if there would be consequences if they didn't make it into Slytherin, "And I better not be getting any owls at any time during the year telling me you've caused trouble," she concluded, narrowing her eyes at the twin on the left.

The girl visibly flinched at her mother's glare, as she was accustomed to receiving punishment when she was met with that look. Her twin noticed this and replied to their mother for her.

"We won't cause trouble, Mother. You've raised us to know what's right and wrong."

Their mother accepted this answer and nodded, "Good. Now, we spoke about this before, but I'll remind you again: no making friends with blood-traitors or Mudbloods-"

"Make only Slytherin friends," both of the girls finished for her.

"We know, Mother," continued the one who had spoken before, "We won't disappoint you."

"Yes," the mother said, looking unsure, "Well, it's almost eleven. Your father and I will leave you here. Have a good term." She stooped to give them each a quick hug, before whispering in the ear of the twin on the right, "Keep an eye on your sister, Chrysilla. Send me an owl if she starts heading in the wrong direction."

"Anthea will be fine, Mother," Chrysilla whispered back, "She won't be making friends with the wrong people, I'll make sure of it."

Their father, who hadn't said anything during their conversation, gave them both a curt nod, as if to say goodbye, before both their parents turned on the spot and apparated away, leaving their children with their trunks alone on the platform.

...

"Fred! George! Wait just a moment!"

_"Muuuum!" _the twins in question whined together as their mother called them back for what seemed like the tenth time that morning.

"The train's going to leave soon!" one of them said.

"Yes, and we'd rather like to be on it," said the other.

"Oh, I know," their mother replied as she pulled them into their fiftieth hug that day, "I just wanted to apologise for Dad not being here."

"You've already apologised!" they both replied, trying to get away from her hold.

"Twenty times, actually."

"We know he had to stay home to take care of Ron and Ginny."

"I'm sorry, boys," she said as she pulled away from them, tears filling her eyes as she looked at their freckled faces. When she noticed how long their red hair was getting, she suddenly wished she'd thought to give them haircuts the night before, "I just can't believe you're already off to Hogwarts!"

"We've been over this, Mum!"

"Can we get on the train now? We'd like to find a compartment."

"Yes, I suppose I should let you go," she said reluctantly. Fred and George took this chance to run towards the train before she called them back again. When their mother took notice of this, she started to yell after them. "Behave yourselves! I don't want any letters from the school saying you got into trouble! I've asked both Charlie and Percy to keep an eye on you!"

Fred and George, already far away from her, didn't hear her cries over the noise that filled the platform, and even if they had, they'd have chosen to ignore them. This was their first year at Hogwarts, and they wanted to cause as much trouble for the school as they could so everyone would know their names. They only had seven years at Hogwarts, and they wanted to make the best of them. Their goal for the year was to establish a reputation for them.

Their names would be as well known in Hogwarts as Harry Potter's was in the entire Wizarding World.

As they approached one of the many doors to the train, one of them took notice of something.

"Oi, Fred, look over there."

A small blonde girl their age was trying and failing to get two trunks onto the train. Fred and George wondered why she was trying to do this alone. They had their mother and brothers to help them, and she had no one? Two trunks meant two people. Where was the second person?

"Reckon we should help her?" George asked his twin.

Fred nodded and they walked toward her.

"Need help?" Fred asked as they approached.

The girl, who hadn't noticed them approach, looked at them her blue eyes widening in shock. She smiled at them and nodded her head.

"I'd love some help, thanks."

Alone, carrying two trunks onto the train was next to impossible for an eleven-year-old, as they had no spells to help them, but lifting the trunks was no problem for the three of them together.

"Where're your parents?" one of the boys asked.

"And where's the second person, or are these both yours?" asked the other.

The girl shook her head, her long blonde hair swaying from side to side as she did so. "Mother and Father already left, and Chrys went to go find a compartment."

"Who's Chrys?" the boys asked in tandem.

"Oh, Chrys is my sister. She's actually my identical twin," she replied, smiling brightly.

Fred and George couldn't help but smile with her. They had other twins they could make friends and cause trouble with! Hogwarts wouldn't know what hit them!

"We're like you guys," the girl continued, "Er- I'm sorry, but what are your names?"

"I'm Fred-"

"And I'm George."

The girl smiled at them again and held out her hand for them to shake. "I'm Anna, it's nice to meet you both!"

"Same to you," Fred and George replied as they took turns shaking her hand.

"Is this your first year too?" they asked her. When she nodded they asked, "What house do you think you'll be in?"

Before she could answer another blonde girl identical to Anna ran up to them from the sea of people on the train.

"Anna, there you are. There are so many people here I couldn't find where I left you. I found a compartment-" the girl Fred and George knew must be Chrys froze when she saw them, "Anna, who're they?"

"Oh, they helped me get our trunks onto the train. Fred, George, this is my sister, Chrys. Chrys, this is-"

"You're Weasleys, aren't you?" Chrys asked, rather rudely .

The smiles on the others' faces immediately disappeared at her words.

"Yes," Fred and George replied together, narrowing their eyes at her.

"I thought so," she replied, looking them up and down with an expression on her face that gave the impression she had just trodden on a giant slug. "Ginger... Hand-me-down clothes. It's painfully obvious who you are," she turned to Anna before adding, "Why didn't you spot it?"

Anna didn't reply, and the train's whistle blew overhead, signaling that the train was about to leave.

Chrys grabbed the handle on her trunk and began to drag it down the aisle towards the compartment she had found, "Come on, Anna!"

Fred had already turned away to leave, and so only George noticed when Anna mouthed the word 'Sorry' before grabbing her own trunk and leaving with her twin.

...

"_Weasleys, _Anna! Honestly, they've got to be the biggest group of blood-traitors in the world! I leave you alone for five minutes and you're already befriending blood-traitors... What's next? Mudbloods?"

Chrys had been going on like this for the past few minutes, ever since the train started moving.

"I don't think you should be using that word in Hogwarts, Chrys," Anna said. She hadn't been paying much attention to her sister, choosing instead to lean her head against the compartment's window and watch the scenery, "There are a lot of people around. You'll offend someone."

"The word's not meant to be a compliment, Anna. Honestly, I've always known you were odd, but why come to their defense? They don't belong in our world!"

Anna shrugged, ignoring her sister again. She was too busy wondering what Fred and George thought of her now.

"They were nice people, Chrys. I don't see why we should hate them. Maybe Mother was wrong about them."

Chrys looked appalled at Anna's words. "Who cares if they're nice? We can't be talking to people like them. Mother would kick us out of the house if she knew!"

Anna didn't really see a problem with that, she always got the short end of the stick at home anyway. She shrugged again, closing her eyes. Maybe if she took a nap they'd get to Hogwarts faster...

Anna heard Chrys sigh from her seat opposite her. She reluctantly opened her eyes to look at her.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I don't mean to make you feel bad. Mother only told me to look out for you."

"Maybe I don't need you to look out for me."

Chrys chose to ignore this, and changed the subject instead. "Let's focus on the big thing here: we're finally going to Hogwarts! Aren't you excited?"

Anna couldn't help but smile. "I wish this train could go faster. I can't wait to get there!"

The girls spent the next few hours chatting excitedly about what the castle would be like. They had no older siblings, so they had no idea what the castle looked like, and their parents never told them about it either.

"I heard someone say that there was a curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors when I was looking for a compartment," Chrys said, "I wonder if that's true..."

"Curse? You mean they die at the end of every year? Why would anybody want to sign up for that job?"

"I dunno. But I guess they can't be dying if people keep signing up for the job."

It wasn't long before the sky outside began to darken, and a small woman was offering them lunch off of a trolley ladden with sweets. They each got a handful of their favourite sweets and ate quietly as time ticked by.

The last few hours on the train seemed to go by extra slowly, as if to taunt them, but finally, they could see a silhouette of Hogwarts and its many turrets and towers in the distance. They were almost there!

Anna and Chrys took the opportunity to change into their school robes, and before they knew it, the train was screeching to a stop.

They could hardly contain their excitement as they left the train to be greeted by a rough, yet merry sounding voice.

"Firs' years over here, please!"

A giant of a man with a lantern was standing at the end of the platform, calling the first years towards them.

"Any more firs' years?" the giant asked as the first years approached them, Anna could see Fred and George's vibrant red hair a few feet away. "Alrigh' firs' years, follow me. Mind your step, now!"

The giant lead them all to a great black lake, a fleet of little boats sitting on the shore. Across from the lake was Hogwarts, its windows sparkling in the distance.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant shouted as everyone moved towards them. Anna and Chrys were followed onto their boat by a tall, pretty black girl with her long, black hair in a braid, and another girl who she seemed to be friends with already. They introduced themselves as Angelina and Alicia.

"Everyone in?" the giant asked, Anna noticed he had a boat to himself. "Right then, FORWARD!"

This was it. They were finally going to begin their first year at Hogwarts.

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_**A/N: Thank you for reading, and I'd appreciate it if you reviewed. Did anybody catch any AVPM/S references? ;)**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Only after typing out Professor McGonagall's name did I notice how strange it actually is. And, um, this chapter might sound a lot like the Philosopher's Stone, because of the Sorting and introduction to Hogwarts and all that noise, so please bear with me. It'll start to get different in the next chapter.**_

_**Sorry it took a while to edit this one. Been going through a rut. :P**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable in this, it all belongs to JK Rowling. Any OC that appears here, however, is mine.**_

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_Chapter 2: Sorting_

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the giant, after they had crossed the lake and entered Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Hagrid," said Professor McGonagall, a tall woman in emerald green robes and black hair in a tight bun, "I will take them from here."

Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small chamber off the Entrance Hall she had lead them across. The first years piled in, shaking from a mix of excitement and nerves.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall, "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses," she paused, and Anna got the feeling that she said the same exact thing to every group of first years, "The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room…"

Anna found herself not paying much attention to Professor McGonagall when she started to explain the four houses and the concept house points. Everyone who wasn't Muggleborn or already knew about the Houses. Instead, she found herself peering about the chamber with interest. She wanted to get the sorting over with so she could really start looking around the castle. She'd heard there were plenty of secret passages throughout the school, and she wanted to find every single one of them.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting," Professor McGonagall concluded before turning and heading towards the door, "I will return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

There was a nervous shuffle around the chamber as everyone went about trying to make themselves look proper. Girls were fixing their skirts and making sure their blouses were tucked in properly while some boys were trying to comb their hair with their fingers.

Anna realised with a sudden jolt that her mother had never actually told her and Chrys how they were sorted. She turned to her twin to see her trying to get her fringe to stay flat.

"Chrys?" she whispered, gaining all the first year's attention. Se realised only then just how quiet everyone was being.

"What is it?"

"Did Mother ever tell you how we would get sorted?"

Chrys, along with a few others in the chamber, froze, completely forgetting about their attempts to smarten themselves up.

"No…" she finally answered, turning to Anna, who noticed she was actually looking scared, "What do you think they'll make us do?"

Before Anna could answer, somebody in the corner of the chamber squeaked in a scared voice, "I heard somebody on the train say that we'd have to duel each other!"

"Don't be thick," a black boy with dreadlocks standing next to Fred and George said, "They haven't taught us any spells! They're not about to ask us to duel each other!"

"Someone from another year was just yanking your wand," Alicia, the girl from the boat agreed.

Anna noticed that Fred and George weren't saying anything, in fact, they seemed to be amused by everyone. She suddenly remembered her mother once saying that the Weasleys had more children than they could afford; if they had siblings that were already in the school they could know how they would be sorted.

"Do you two know how we'll be sorted? You have siblings here, don't you?" Anna asked them. Chrys looked appalled at the idea of Anna speaking to them again.

They both shrugged before they replied, "Dunno-"

"Bill and Charlie never told us-"

"And Percy's been acting all high and mighty about knowing something we don't-"

"We're as clueless as you are," they both finished together.

Anna sighed, now getting worried. She hoped it wasn't some sort of test, she hadn't really bothered to read any of her new textbooks. She didn't have much more time to dwell on it before Professor McGonagall returned.

"The Sorting Ceremony's about to start; form a line and follow me."

They did as they were told, and scrambled to form a line, Anna and Chrys chose to find a place somewhere closer to the end. Anna noticed that everyone looked as sick and nervous as she felt. The sorting took place in front of the entire school, what if she embarrassed herself?

Professor McGonagall led them out of the chamber, back across the Entrance Hall and through a pair of double doors that lead into the Great Hall.

Anna and most of the other first years gasped. She had never imagined the place to be so magnificent. The ceiling above them was lined with stars, and gave the impression that there was no ceiling at all, just the night sky.

The Hall was lit by thousands of candles that floated over four long tables that seated the students, each table being for a different house, and over a fifth table at which the staff was seated. The first years were led up there, where they stopped, facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. Anna noticed that there were even ghosts in the Hall, staring at them all, making her very aware that every eye was on the group of them.

Trying to keep her mind off the fact that everyone was watching them, Anna watched Professor McGonagall, who was placing a four-legged stool in front of the row of first years. She then placed a patched and frayed wizard's hat on the stool.

There were a few seconds of silence where everyone was staring at the hat, then its brim opened wide and it began to sing.

Anna gasped and she felt Chrys jump in shock beside her. She was too preoccupied with the fact that the hat was singing to even register what it was singing about. She had just started to really pay attention after the hat described the differences between the houses when it fell silent again and the hall burst in to applause.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat, and sit on the stool to be sorted. 'Avery, Todd!'"

A small, podgy blonde boy tripped on his way out of the line, and sat down. When he put on the hat, it fell down past his eyes. There was a moment's silence, then-

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted, causing the table on the right to burst into applause as Todd walked over to it.

The students around Anna were getting more and more nervous every time someone was sorted, 'Beattie, Casey' had become the first Slytherin, and 'Bennet, Don' had quickly joined her.

It took quite a while before Gryffindor had gained its first new student, but it finally happened when 'Johnson, Angelina' was called. Anna had already taken a liking to her and Alicia from getting to know the two of them on the boat they shared to the castle, but now she doubted she could ever be friends with her, just like the Weasley Twins. The disapproving snort from Chrys when Angelina joined the table on the far left finalised that thought.

'Jordan, Lee', the boy with dreadlocks, quickly joined Angelina at the Gryffindor table, and before Anna knew it, they were already into the 'M's'. Her name would be called any second now.

'MacKay, Aaron' became the next Ravenclaw, and 'Murray, Carol' joined the Hufflepuffs before finally-

"Nymphea, Anthea!"

Anna froze, suddenly wishing she had a bucket on hand to vomit in. Time seemed to stand still, and she felt Chrys reach over and pat her on the back. Anna gave her a quick smile before she made her way towards the stool, feeling as if her legs had been replaced with lead.

She sat down and placed the hat on her head, almost jumping right back onto her feet when she heard the hat speak to her. She didn't hear it speaking to anyone else, she must be the only one able to hear it.

_'Hmm… Now this is interesting. A Nymphea, eh? But you seem different from your family… Fair bit of courage, I see. Just need to be free from your controlling family to prove that… Forgive me, but I doubt Slytherin would be the best place for you, you're too… Let's say, kind, shall we, for lack of a better word? But what house would be right for you?'_

Anna froze again, she wouldn't be in Slytherin? Her mother would hate that! She found herself actually liking the idea.

_'You don't seem to have a bad mind, perhaps Ravenclaw? No, I don't think so…'_

Anna found herself thinking, _'How about Gryffindor? I think it could actually be funny, Mother couldn't do anything about it.'_

_'Oh? You aren't afraid of what your mother thinks?'_

Anna smiled, shocking herself. She used to be terrified of her mother, why was she suddenly alright with the idea making her mad? Then she thought, "Mother doesn't treat me well anyway, why not have a bit of fun with it? There's nothing she can do to me until the end of the year anyway." She had to be going mental. Perhaps this hat made you think differently, or brought out your true personality so it could sort you better? There was no way Anna would be thinking any of this if she was still back in the line with the others.

_'Hmm…'_ said the hat, '_Perhaps Gryffindor would be the best place for you. Plenty more courage than I first thought. Yes, I see it now. Better be-'_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word was shouted for the entire hall to hear. The Gryffindor table was clapping and shouting loudly as Anna took off the hat and turned to look at Chrys. She looked appalled at the very idea of being related to a Gryffindor, and suddenly Anna was feeling just as nervous as she was before she was sorted.

Anna made her way to the Gryffindor table and took a seat next to Angelina and Lee, feeling both happy and scared before Professor McGonagall called her sister's name.

"Nymphea, Chrysilla!"

The hat didn't take nearly as long with Chrys as it had with Anna, it took only a few seconds before she was named a Slytherin. She took off the hat and looked at Anna with an almost apologetic expression on her face, before heading towards the Slytherin table.

The Sorting Ceremony seemed to go by a lot faster after Anna was sorted, she was so nervous about getting an owl from her infuriated mother that she barely noticed when Alicia took the spare seat next to her. She stopped worrying however, when Fred and George took the seats across from her, both smiling widely at her.

"So you're Anna, then?" they asked.

She nodded at them.

"We figured your sister would be going into Slytherin, she seemed a bit rude-"

"But we thought you were alright. There was no way you'd be a Slytherin-"

"Especially when I noticed you apologising before you followed Chrys into your compartment. A Slytherin would never apologise for anything-"

"Apology accepted, by the way."

Anna smiled at them, she could tell they spoke like this a lot, and she found it entertaining. She wondered how long it would take her to be able to tell them apart, it was something she definitely wanted to be able to do.

The group of new Gryffindors started to introduce themselves; they thought it would be best to get along since they'd be spending the next seven years together. Supposedly Lee was already friends with the twins - they had met on the train as well. He had been hiding from the twins' older brother, Charlie, who happens to be a prefect. Anna could tell she was going to enjoy her years at Hogwarts as she laughed at a joke the twins made, and there was nothing her mother could ever do to take away her happiness at that moment.

"Welcome!" came a sudden shout that overpowered every voice in the Great Hall. Everyone quieted down as the headmaster got to his feet, beaming at the students, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I will save the few announcements I have for after the banquet, as I am sure you are all famished! Tuck in!"

Everyone clapped and cheered, and suddenly the empty plates lining the tables were piled with foods of all sorts. Anna found herself getting lost in conversation with the others, and they all laughed at the many jokes the twins made.

"So your name's actually Anthea?" Angelina asked.

Anna thought this question might be asked at one point.

"Yes, my mother wanted to name my sister and I after Greek words she liked. I don't think she really thought about the meanings though."

"Why?" Alicia asked, "What does Anthea mean?"

"Flower-like," Anna replied with a shrug and a grimace, "I don't really like it just because of the meaning."

"Then we'll just call you Anna," Fred said.

"You obviously prefer it," agreed George.

"I don't blame you. Don't know what I'd do if my name meant 'flower-like'."

Anna laughed.

"And what about Chrysilla?" Lee asked, "What does that mean?"

"Oh, well I actually think Chrys got it worse than I did. Her name means 'golden-haired'."

Fred, George, and Lee laughed at that.

"Why does your mother like Greek names?" Angelina asked.

Anna was starting to feel like she was being interviewed.

"Her name was Greek too. She likes her name because it's unique, she thought we'd like having different names too. Her name's Aspasia, by the way." Anna added, knowing they were going to ask, "It means welcome." She failed to hold in a snigger at that last comment. "It's so ironic. She has a horrible personality, she doesn't make anyone feel welcome."

The others laughed, although it sounded a bit awkward.

"But let's change the subject. Alicia, what's your family like?"

Before long, everyone had eaten as much as they could, and the food on he plates vanished, leaving the plates and goblets looking as if they hadn't had any food on them to begin with.

Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"I have just a few start of term notices now that we are all fed and watered. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils."

Anna noticed Fred and George grin at each other.

"I must also ask that you refrain from using magic in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term, anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madam Hooch. I must inform the first years that they are not permitted to play for their house teams until their second year. And finally, I would like to introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Gloria Wells!"

The students applauded a short, thin woman with short spiked brown hair as she stood up and waved merrily at them all.

"And now, bed time! Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Charlie Weasley out of the Great Hall, keeping close together so they wouldn't be separated by all the students surrounding them. Anna noticed her twin waving at her across the Entrance Hall.

"I'll speak to you sometime tomorrow!" she called, before waving goodbye and following the Slytherin prefect into the dungeons.

Anna thought that was rather odd. She expected Chrys to start acting like she never had a sister, rather than suddenly acting friendlier to her.

Charlie led the first years up a marble staircase. They went up seven flights of stairs, before finally entering a corridor on the seventh floor. At the end of the corridor was a great portrait of a very fat woman in a pink dress.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked.

"Tommyrot," Charlie answered.

The portrait swung forward to reveal a large round hole in the wall, and they all scrambled through it.

Charlie pointed the girls in the direction of their dormitory before leading the boys to theirs. The six Gryffindors waved goodnight sleepily to each other before they all went their separate ways. Anna, Angelina, and Alicia made their way up a spiral staircase before coming to a stop in their new bedroom. Three four-posters hung with deep red velvet as well as their belongings were already waiting for them. Too tired to speak, and in Anna's case, too tired to be scared of her mother. The three girls made their way to their respective beds and collapsed onto them.

Anna was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you for reading! Yeah, I didn't really feel like making up anymore Gryffindors. XD I just decided to work with what JK came up with. :P **_

_**I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed and tell me what you think so far!**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Thank you Waffles for the review! On your Forbidden Forest idea, stay tuned for chapter 5 whenever it comes out. ;)  
**_

_**I don't own Harry Potter or any recognizable characters in this. I only own OCs.**_

* * *

Chapter 3: Hogwarts

Anna woke up the next morning with a start when something hit her face. When she fell off her bed from the shock, she looked up to see both Angelina and Alicia grinning at her, holding pillows above their heads.

She was dazed at first from having just woke up, but she noticed that they were both already in their school robes.

"Get up, already!" Alicia laughed, hitting her with her pillow once again.

Anna squealed when the pillow hit her, and jumped to her feet to grab her own pillow off her bed. The girls spent a few moments hitting each other and giggling before Angelina finally put a stop to it.

"Hurry up and get ready!" she told Anna, "It's our first day. We have to be down for breakfast to get our timetables."

Anna simply smiled in response and promptly showered and got changed into her school robes, excited beyond words for her first day of classes. She was finally starting her life at Hogwarts, and could finally live day to day without her mother breathing down her neck.

The best part was, she had ended up in a different house than Chrys, and as such she had more opportunities to make her own friends.

She could finally be herself.

After getting dressed and putting her hair up in a ponytail, she grabbed her wand off her bedside table (12 1/4 inches, dogwood, slightly springy, with unicorn hair infused in its core), and raced the other girls down the stairs and into the Gryffindor common room, which was full of students who had just woken up and were now talking with old friends and heading out the portrait hole to go to breakfast.

The girls spotted Lee, Fred, and George leaving the door to the boys dormitory as the made it to the common room, and made their way over to them. They all looked tired, but excited at the same time.

They all grinned when the girls approached them, "Excited?"

The girls nodded. Anna was feeling particularly giddy.

"Breakfast?" Lee suggested, "I'm starved."

"Yeah," Fred, or was it George, agreed with a smile, "I wonder what they have."

Leave it to boys to be more excited about the food than anything else.

* * *

It turned out they had a bit of everything. Plates of steaming pancakes, bacon, sausages, jugs of milk with cereal, pots of oatmeal, anything you could possibly want, they had. As everyone had their breakfast and spoke happily to new or old friends, the heads of houses walked up and down the tables handing out timetables to the students. Professor McGonagall handed the Gryffindors their timetables and waved her wand over the bits of parchment, and their classes showed up in the allotted time spaces.

"Looks like we have charms with the Ravenclaws first," Alicia said as she looked at her timetable, "Good, I've been looking forward to that class."

"I've been excited for Defense Against the Dark Arts, personally," Angelina said, pointing to the space the class took up, right after their lunch break on Wednesday, "But we don't have that today. Potions might be interesting though."

"Bill and Charlie always said that Professor Snape was a horrible git of a teacher," Fred chimed in, "Percy always came to his defense, saying he was just strict."

"Either way," George shrugged before taking a bite of sausage, "He favors the Slytherins."

Their first day of classes went relatively well. Anna particularly liked Charms class. Their teacher, the small and friendly Professor Flitwick, had a way of making the class fun and interesting, and the fact that Fred and George spent the entire time at the back of the class making everyone laugh, she knew she was going to enjoy the class. Even the boy she sat next to from Ravenclaw, Brian Montgomery, was nice, and they hit it off quickly. He made the class more looked forward to for Anna.

After Charms, the group of six Gryffindors struggled to find their way to Transfiguration. They had to ask several students and even some of the school ghosts for directions, but they somehow managed to make it to the class on time.

The class itself was interesting, but it wasn't nearly as fun as Charms. Professor McGonagall was much more strict than Flitwick, and Fred and George kept their joke making to a minimum, but they didn't stop altogether. Anna had a feeling McGonagall was being a little more lenient with them because it was their first class.

They went over what they were going to learn that year, as well as how the course would be extremely difficult for some, and how it would come in handy in later life, like they had in Charms, and before too long they were sent off for lunch.

The group talked excitedly amongst themselves, comparing what their favorite classes were so far, though they had only had two so far, and the classes they were most looking forward to.

They had all agreed on one thing: none of them were really looking forward to History of Magic.

They sat in the class with the Hufflepuffs, Fred and George sitting in the back and joking around with Lee as usual, while the three girls sat in front of them, waiting for their professor to arrive.

Easily the most interesting part of the class was when their professor glided through the blackboard and began roll call. Anna had had no idea Professor Binns was a ghost, and apparently she wasn't the only clueless one in the class. Several of the students jumped or gasped as he entered the class.

As the class went on, Anna wondered if the subject might have been more interesting if Binns did more than just drone on and on about it.

Finally, the last class of the day came, and Anna found herself making her way with the five others to the dark and depressing dungeons. She wasn't really looking forward to this class. Not only were Fred and George telling all these stories about how mean Professor Snape was to anybody that wasn't in Slytherin, stories that they had apparently heard from their older brothers, but she would be having this class with Chrys.

She noticed the blonde hair of her sister the second they entered the dungeon classroom. It was easily distinguishable with how dark everything else in the class was. They hadn't seen each other yet that day, and Anna remembered how the night before Chrys had wanted to talk to her, probably about the sorting.

She tried to sneak in unnoticed beside Alicia as Chrys spoke with some of her new Slytherin friends. Unfortunately, her own blonde hair was just as noticeable as Chrys's was.

"Anna!" her sister waved her over to the table she was sitting at, gesturing to the empty seat beside her. Chrys waved goodbye to her friends as Anna reluctantly approached and sat down next to her at the back of the class. Anna suspected Chrys had chosen the seats so they would be more likely to speak. Chrys wrinkled her nose in distaste as she noticed Fred and George taking the other table at the back of the room, right next to them. Anna tried to ignore her sister's reaction.

"I've been trying to talk to you all day," Chrys continued in a whisper as Snape swept into the classroom and began his spiel about how the class would work, looking to be as unpleasant as in Fred and George's stories, "I decided I would just have to talk to you in class after seeing you with the Gryffindors during lunch."

"Chrys," Anna sighed, "I _am _a Gryffindor. Of course I'm going to spend my time with them."

"Yes, that's why I wanted to talk to you," Chrys told her quietly, "I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake. You've always been the odd one in our family, but there's no way a Nymphaea would be in Gryffindor."

"I'm pretty sure the Sorting Hat's decision is final."

Chrys shook her head, "No, I heard someone say the hat was kept in Dumbledore's office." Anna turned her attention from Snape to Chrys, wondering where she was going with this, "We just have to sneak into his office and see for ourselves if it sorted you into the right house."

Anna raised an eyebrow at her, "You want to sneak into our Headmaster's office on the first day of school?"

"Well the sooner we sort this out the better!" she hissed, "We can't have you being in Gryffindor for any longer than you have to! Besides, your reluctance to do this shows that you can't be a Gryffindor. They're supposed to be brave...or something."

Anna knew her sister wouldn't stop bugging her about it until she went through with it, so she reluctantly agreed. "Fine," she sighed, hoping she'd still be in Gryffindor tomorrow, "How are we going to do this? And how would it even make a difference if we don't have any witnesses when I'm being re-sorted?"

Chrys smiled, "We'll meet up at midnight tonight in front of the Great Hall. I'll ask around and find out where Dumbledore's office is so we won't get lost. We'll have to be quick, and I'll think of a way to get you switched into Slytherin once the Sorting Hat actually re-sorts you. They'll have to go along with it."

Anna was about to reply, but a large shadow was cast over their table. They both looked up into the face of a very irritated Professor Snape.

"I'm sure whatever it is you're discussing is important," he sneered, "However, I would ask that you do it in your free time, rather than interrupt my class. Ten points from Gryffindor."

All the Gryffindors groaned at this.

"What?" Lee asked, "But Chrys was talking too!"

Snape looked over at Lee with his eyes narrowed, "Make that twenty points, Mr Jordan. Now, as I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted..."

"See?" Chrys whispered matter-of-factly so Snape wouldn't hear, "If you were in Slytherin you wouldn't have had points taken away."

That did little to sway Anna into wanting to be in Slytherin.

* * *

Anna snuck out of her dormitory and down to the common room close to midnight that night. She still didn't really want to do this, but the faster she got her sister off her back, the better.

She moved quickly across the empty common room ad toward the portrait hole, hoping against hope that the Fat Lady wouldn't get her in trouble. Just as she was about to push the portrait hole open, she heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned around, coming face to face with Fred and George. Both were smiling wickedly at her.

"Rather daring aren't we?" the one on the left said in a taunting voice.

"Sneaking out on our first night?" the other finished.

"So you overheard Chrys and me talking?" Anna asked, her shoulders sagging.

They nodded, and the one on the right, George, she thought, spoke, "Would it be pointless to tell you there's no way you can switch houses?"

"You're a Gryffindor for good."

"Tell that to Chrys," Anna said, turning back toward the portrait hole, "I'm just doing this to get her off my back."

They both marched past her and Fred pushed open the door to the portrait hole, motioning for her to go ahead. When Anna didn't move, and merely looked at him confused, George took her arm and dragged her out of the portrait hole, Fred following behind quickly.

"We'll have to tell her ourselves then, won't we Fred?" George said, turning to his twin with a wink.

Anna pulled her arm out of George's grasp, and noticed that the Fat Lady was soundly asleep in her portrait, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, we're not about to let someone else sneak out before us," Fred told her with a grin before the boys marched ahead of her, "We're meeting Chrys outside the Great Hall, yeah? Hurry up, it wouldn't be much fun if we got caught."

"This isn't supposed to be for fun," Anna told them as she caught up to them and they walked down the many staircases, keeping an eye out for any prefects or Peeves, the school's poltergeist.

By some miracle, they didn't run into anyone on their way to the Great Hall. Chrys was nowhere to be seen when they arrived. She didn't keep them waiting long though.

She waved them in the direction of the staircase she was hiding behind, looking very unimpressed about Fred and George's presence.

"What are they doing here?" she hissed.

"They just decided to tag along," Anna shrugged in response, "They overheard us in Potions."

"We thought we should tell you in person how this isn't going to work," Fred shrugged, "She can't be switched out of Gryffindor now."

Chrys glared at him, but seemed to decide this wasn't the time or place to start, "Whatever. If you're tagging along, fine, just don't get in the way."

Fred and George merely shrugged, and waited for Chrys to continue.

"Dumbledore's office is this way," Chrys said, pointing down the hall.

Thanks to the directions Chrys had obtained earlier, they didn't get lost on the way to his office, but they were stopped at the entrance by a large statue of a gargoyle.

"Er..." George tried, "Can you let us through?"

The gargoyle did not move or say anything.

"Worth a shot," Fred shrugged.

"It must need a password or something," Anna said.

"Does anyone know what it would be?" Chrys asked, irritated by the gargoyle's presence.

"How would we know?" Fred and George asked in tandem.

"Well, well," a cold voice said suddenly from behind them, and the four kids stopped their bickering and froze. They hadn't even heard any footsteps. They turned slowly, dreading who they were about to see, and with horror they all looked up into the face of a very sinister looking Professor Snape.

"And just what, if you don't mind my asking," he continued with a sneer, "Are the four of you doing out of bed?"

* * *

_**A/N: It shouldn't take too long for me to get the next chapter up. I've been busy lately, so I haven't had much time to work on it. Bug me if I don't have the next chapter up by the end of tomorrow night, or I'll forget about it after work. xD  
**_

_**Please review, I'd really appreciate hearing what you think so far. :)**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, and to Waffles, I've had the Marauders Map planned for months. :) I couldn't do their first year without them finding it, as I do sort of want to stick to canon in some ways. The other ideas you had were interesting as well, I may just try to throw a couple of them in. :) I also want to thank Avalon Kore for reviewing, but I replied to them in PM so I won't make this note any longer.  
**_

_**Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

_Chapter 4: Separate Ways_

"And just what, if you don't mind my asking, are the four of you doing out of bed?"

Anna could feel her stomach plummet at the Potion Master's words. Her first day of school and she was already going to be expelled. That had to be some kind of record.

The four first years continued to stare in horror at their professor, who stared back.

"Well?" Snape pressed.

Anna opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying to think of something to say. She couldn't make a sound, however.

"It was my idea, Professor," Chrys piped up. The three other students snapped their heads in he direction, shocked that she could even speak up. Anna wasn't going to argue, however, as her sister was telling the truth.

Snape turned his eyes on Chrys, "That doesn't quite answer my question, Miss Nymphea. What reason could the four of you possibly have for breaking curfew and attempting to break into the Headmaster's office?"

"Well," Chrys began, hardly phased by Professor Snape's tone. It seemed as if she felt she had immunity just because he was her head of house. "I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake when it sorted my sister into Gryffindor, sir. I'd heard from someone else that Professor Dumbledore kept the Hat inside his office, so..."

"So rather than speaking to the headmaster during the day," Snape started, and Chrys shrunk away from him slightly, seeming to finally realise how much trouble they were in, "You decided it would be best to break a dozen school rules on your first night in the castle?"

"Sorry, sir..."

"Might I add," Snape continued, "That it would make sense to have an adult as witness to another sorting? However, the Sorting Hat's decision is final; it is not up to your family to decide the house of their children." Snape's cold eyes moved to where Anna stood, sending shivers down her spine, "Your sister doesn't seem quite cut out to be in Slytherin."

_'Listen to him,' _Anna found herself thinking, hoping her sister would just drop it so they could take their punishment and, hopefully, go back to bed instead of getting expelled.

"With all do respect, sir," Chrys pressed on. Anna had to resist the urge to groan. "I disagree."

Snape said nothing else, and turned to the twins instead, "Well, that explains why the girls are here. And why were the two of you compelled to joining them?"

Anna could see from the corner of her eye that Chrys looked pleased with herself as she smirked at Fred and George, who had been oddly quiet for the entire conversation with the professor. It appeared even they knew when it was best to hold their tongues.

Or they just didn't know how they were going to talk themselves out of expulsion. Fortunately, they didn't have to. As if on cue, the stone gargoyle behind them suddenly sprang to life, catching the four students completely off guard as they had forgotten completely about it.

As the stone gargoyle moved out of the way, Professor Dumbledore himself came into view.

"Is something the matter, Severus?"

"I've just caught these students attempting to sneak into your office, Headmaster. Miss Nymphea," he gestured to Chrys, "Claims that the Sorting Hat has made a mistake in the sorting of her sister.

"I see," Dumbledore smiled, "And these two young gentlemen came along to witness this re-sorting?"

"I was just asking them their reason for tagging along, Headmaster."

"Ah," the headmaster's eyes twinkled merrily as he looked at the Weasley twins, "Your mother did warn me about the two of you. I did not think I would have that much trouble with you this early in the year."

The scowl on Snape's face clearly showed how unimpressed he was with how easygoing Dumbledore was being. "Headmaster, should we not be punishing these students for their blatant disregard for the rules?"

"Come now, Severus," he chuckled, "Where's your sense of adventure? You were a student once yourself. As I recall, you were caught out past curfew on more than one occasion." At this, Snape's face was distorted with anger. As if to prevent the potions professor from exploding, Dumbledore added, "That is to say we won't be letting these student go completely unpunished, but for now, I do believe I am being an ungracious host."

He turned on his heel and began walking up the steps, gesturing for the rest to follow. The surly professor strode right past the four students, his cloak billowing around him in a ridiculously bat-like manor.

"I'm sure Dumbledore will be reasonable," Chrys whispered to Anna as they entered the headmaster's office, a breathtaking room full of the most interesting objects Anna had ever seen. They bested even the objects she had seen in her father's study at home. The most breathtaking of all, however, was the beautiful phoenix perched beside Dumbledore's desk. Anna was brought out of her thoughts by Chrys's voice, "If he doesn't allow a re-sorting, I'll send an owl to mother straight away, so she can demand it herself. I doubt Dumbledore will be able to tell _her_ no."

Anna simply nodded, not wanting to create a scene in front of her headmaster. She just wanted to get this whole night over with, re-sorting or no.

"Have you asked Anna if she even _wants _to be re-sorted?" one of the Weasley twins asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't recall asking _your_ opinion," Chrys snapped back.

"Well, then," Dumbledore spoke to Chrys, immediately silencing a would-be remark from whichever twin had spoken before, "You believe there was a mistake in the Sorting?"

"Yes, Professor," Chrys said immediately, "I really don't think Anna should be in Gryffindor. I think as a Nymphea she's more suited for Slytherin. The Sorting Hat must have made a mistake!"

Dumbledore seemed to think about her words as he sat down in his seat behind his desk, Snape standing at his side. The headmaster waved his wand lazily and conjured up four chairs across from him for the students to sit in, "It is true, that on some occasions I believe that we sort our students too soon. However, even then, the Sorting Hat is rarely ever wrong." He held his hand up, preventing Chrys from protesting, "Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that your sister has grown enough in the past day for the Sorting Hat to change its mind."

"But that's what I'm saying, sir!" Chrys said once Dumbledore was finished, "The hat just made a mistake, it has nothing to do with how much Anna has or has not grown over the past day. If you'll let Anna try the hat on again, you'll see for yourself."

Dumbledore sighed, and Snape looked increasingly irritated with every passing moment. It appeared as though Dumbledore had realized that Chrys would not stop arguing until she got her way, something Anna knew she had picked up from their mother.

Anna could hear a few grunts of disapproval from around her, and only then did she notice the wall behind Dumbledore absolutely covered in portraits of Hogwarts' old Headmasters. She could see plenty of them shaking their heads at Chrys, while the majority of them appeared to be sleeping.

Anna sighed in her seat, she wished _she_ were sleeping. It had to be well past three.

"Very well," Dumbledore finally said, apparently deciding to humor Chrys. "I will allow the re-sorting," he turned his gaze on Anna, "Under the condition that this is something Miss Anna wants, herself."

Suddenly all eyes were on her, and she didn't like it one bit. Four pairs of eyes were silently imploring Anna to tell her sister the truth, while Chrys was looking at her with a grin on her face, Anna knew her sister was doing what she thought Anna would want, and until then she just couldn't bring herself to tell Chrys that she wanted the chance to make her own friends. Anna and Chrys had been together since birth, and when she thought about it, there was a possibility that Chrys was just scared to make new friends and spend large amounts of time away from Anna. Maybe she just didn't want to lose her sister, who had been her only friend for eleven years.

Anna decided that it was good for them to be in separate houses. It would give them both a shot at independence. They were two completely different people, whether or not they looked the same. They needed to have separate groups of friends in order for them to both be happy in school. Anna already found some friends, now she needed to give Chrys the chance to find her own happiness, whether or not it involved her. Even if it meant not talking to each other anymore, Anna owed it to both of them to tell Chrys the truth.

"Chrys," Anna began with a sigh. Her sisters smile slowly vanished, as if she knew what was coming, "I don't want to be re-sorted."

"What are you talking about?" Chrys asked.

Anna spoke more firmly, "I want to stay in Gryffindor."

Chrys narrowed her eyes at Anna, "Why would you want to stay in Gryffindor?"

"Maybe she has taste in houses?" one of the twins suggested from behind Anna, and she returned the comment with a quick glare.

Anna held out her hand to stop Chrys from replying, "This doesn't concern them."

"I think it does," Chrys replied, "Clearly they're corrupting you already!"

"No one's corrupting me, and I doubt anyone could even do that in a day," Anna steeled her resolve, "I'm staying in Gryffindor."

"Well why didn't you tell me you wanted to stay in _that_ house _before_ we snuck out?"

"I _tried_," Anna replied, "But you wouldn't listen. You _never_ do! Could you please just let me live my own life for once? Worry about yourself instead."

Perhaps she was being a bit harsh with her sister, especially since they were surrounded by others, but she wanted control of her own life, as well as giving her sister the freedom to live her own life with constantly worrying about Anna unnecessarily.

"But you're my sister," Chrys said, looking hurt, "Why wouldn't I worry about you?"

"You worry too much. It's gotten to the point where you're controlling me."

Chrys looked away from her, it was apparent that tears were forming in her eyes, "Fine. I'll stay out of your life then."

Anna was both upset that the conversation had ended in the agreement to go their separate ways, and relieved at the same time. She couldn't help but feel that the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders. She no longer had to act like someone she wasn't just to please her sister, and her mother wasn't at the school to try and control her either.

She was finally free.

* * *

After Anna and Chrys's discussion in Dumbledore's office, the headmaster had escorted the three Gryffindors back to their common room, after deducting ten points from each of them for being out past curfew, while Snape escorted Chrys back to the dungeons. All the while, Dumbledore had told them stories about how he was just as adventurous as they in his youth. He also warned them not to be caught sneaking around the castle past curfew again, as Professor Mcgonagall's wrath was unrivaled. Of course, after Dumbledore had left them in the common room, Fred and George had announced that obviously Dumbledore meant that they were allowed to sneak around the castle as much as they wanted so long as they never got caught. Anna didn't doubt for a second that they'd be getting a lot of detentions in the years to come.

Chrys hadn't spoken to Anna at all since that night, and while Anna couldn't help but think that she should feel worse about what happened, she felt truly happy for the first time in a really long time.

Her happiness wasn't even swayed when she got an owl from her mother later that week, stating how disappointed she was that she was in Gryffindor, and with how rude she was to her sister. She simply shrugged it off; she wouldn't have to deal with it for months. She didn't plan on returning home until the summer holidays.

Fred and George were also having a good time (although they did have to deal with their older brother Percy nagging at them and a letter from home, surprisingly Charlie, their prefect brother, didn't give them any trouble). It took virtually no time at all for word of their midnight excursion to get out, and the two of them were really enjoying the interest the other students had in them after it. Anna preferred to give them all the glory so she could live a little more peacefully. That didn't stop Alicia and Angelina asking for her take on the events of that night, however, since it was fairly certain that Fred and George were adding to the story every time they were asked to retell it. Anna didn't mind telling them though, since over the first week of school the three girls had already grown close.

The first week had proven to be just as fun and exciting as the first day. Most of the professors, with the exceptions of Professors Mcgonagall and Snape, were still going easy on them in terms of homework, but as they progressed into the week and the first years grew more comfortable with the castle and the classes, they started to pile on more homework slightly.

Charms still proved to be Anna's favorite class, as it was really the only time she had to talk to the brown-haired boy with rectangular glasses from Ravenclaw, Brian Montgomery, whom she got along with very well. He made the class more fun for her, and he even helped her with her work in class when she was having trouble with something.

Transfiguration continued to be interesting as well, though it was very difficult compared to charms. Anna had to spend a fair bit of time just trying to keep up with the homework Professor Mcgonagall assigned. The only one who gave them more homework than her was Snape, and Anna had the feeling he was being harder on Fred, George, and herself simply because of the other night. Chrys, of course, didn't receive any of the extra homework the three of them had been assigned, showing Snape's everlasting favoritism toward his house.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was the most looked forward to by everyone, as it was the one class the Gryffindors hadn't had yet by Wednesday morning. It seemed everyone else had had it, and were all talking excitedly about how great the class was. Angelina, who had been excited for the class from the start, never stopped talking about how she couldn't wait to get into the classroom that afternoon.

They happened to be in Herbology at the time, which happened to be their easiest class in Anna's opinion, and a small, pudgy blonde boy in Hufflepuff sitting in front of them overheard her excited chatter.

"You haven't had the class yet?" the boy, Todd Avery, asked, surprised, "You're really in for a treat then! It's a really interesting class, and Professor Wells makes it really fun at the same time!"

"So we've heard," Anna mumbled, promptly receiving an elbow in the ribs from Alicia. Anna was tired of hearing about how great the class was, she just wanted to take it so she could see for herself.

As it turned out, they had the class with the Ravenclaws, something that made Anna immediately like the class a little more. She quickly searched out where Brian was sitting and took the seat next to him, where he greeted her with a bright smile.

"Excited?" he asked as she sat down.

"Definitely," she replied with a grin, "After all I've heard about this class, I hope I'm not disappointed."

Brian smiled, "I take it you've heard a lot about it as well? The Hufflepuffs wouldn't be quiet about it in Potions."

"Turns out they're just as loud about it in Herbology."

Brian laughed, just as a short woman with spiked brown hair entered the room from her office. She took in her students as she made her way to the front of the class.

Anna was about to find out just how right the other students were about the class.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm sorry this one took so long, been going through some stuff lately. So that is the last of the chapters I just had to edit a bit, so I actually have to write the next one. Bug me if I don't have the next chapter up in a couple weeks, but I'll try to get it up sooner. It might make it easier for me if I had someone to keep me on schedule. xD**_

_**Drew a picture of Anna! (And therefore Chrys, I guess. xD) Might eventually draw some of the more important OCs, like Brian. (spaces are dots) **_

_**ihavenoidea8 deviantart com/art/Anna-Nymphea-315996180**_

_**Please review! It would make my day!**_

_**And have a preview for the next chapter! :D **_

_"Don't you two think it's forbidden for a reason?"_

_"But that's what makes it exciting, isn't it?" _

_"What's the fun in playing by the rules, Anna? Come on and join us, you might enjoy yourself."_

_"Merlin knows you could learn what fun is."_


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